Platelet activity and phosphoinositide turnover increase with advancing age

Blood platelet activity increases with advancing age. This study was designed to determine if changes in a key signal-transducing mechanism in the platelet, phosphoinositide turnover, are associated with the enhanced platelet activity seen in aging.

Platelets were harvested from a total of 40 healthy, non-obese, 22- to 62-year-old individuals, free of any clinical evidence of atherosclerotic vascular disease, and having normal serum laboratory lipid levels. Studies of platelet activity included measurement of in vitro platelet aggregation and plasma beta-thromboglobulin (beta-TBG), a marker of in vivo platelet secretion. Basal and thrombin-stimulated phosphoinositide turnover was measured following [32P]-orthophosphate incorporation into the various phospholipids, isolation of the phosphoinositides and phosphatidic acid by thin-layer chromatography and autoradiography, and quantification by liquid scintillation spectroscopy of these radiolabeled phospholipids.

There was a positive correlation with age for both adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced aggregation (1.25 microM, r = 0.464, p less than 0.001; 2.5 microM, r = 0.386, p less than 0.05) and plasma beta-TBG (r = 0.381, p less than 0.055). There was a time-dependent increase of [32P]orthophosphate (32Pi) incorporation into platelet phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) and phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PIP), and isotopic equilibrium was reached by 120 minutes at 37 degrees C. A positive correlation was found between age and basal 32P-PIP2 (r = 0.640, p less than 0.001) and 32P-PIP (r = 0.676, p less than 0.0005). Basal 32Pi incorporation into PIP2 correlated positively with in vitro aggregation (1.25 microM ADP, r = 0.795, p less than 0.0001; 2.5 microM ADP, r = 0.755, p less than 0.0005) as did 32Pi incorporation into PIP (1.25 microM ADP, r = 0.815, p less than 0.0001; 2.5 microM ADP, r = 0.795, p less than 0.0001). There was also a positive correlation between plasma beta-TBG levels and basal 32P-PIP2 (r = 0.768, p less than 0.005) and 32P-PIP (r = 0.505, p less than 0.066). Finally, increasing age correlated with thrombin (4 U/mL)-stimulated 32P-PIP2 hydrolysis (r = 0.694, p less than 0.01) and phosphatidic acid formation (r = 0.556, p less than 0.05).